Centuries
by sherlocksmoonlightsonata
Summary: (One-shot) She'd never truly hated her father until she was faced with a choice - which to her had only one answer. It was just that, with the danger of what was in front of her, it was exceptionally stupid of her to make that choice – to take a stand. What a shame she'd been sorted into Gryffindor – for stupidity was simply bravery and she would save Harry Potter.


**A/N: I've adapted this story from one I wrote when I was 12. Which was 8 years ago. I completely rewrote it, but the concept has remained relatively the same. I played a lot with the concept of "eyes" and "light" but didn't know I had done it until editing. Whoops?**

**Happy reading xx**

_"__And just one mistake, is all it will take, we'll go down in history. Remember me for centuries." – Fall Out Boy_

She'd never truly hated her father until she was faced with a choice - which to her had only one answer. It was just that, with the danger of what was in front of her, it was exceptionally stupid of her to make that choice – to take a stand.

What a shame she'd been sorted into Gryffindor – for stupidity was simply bravery – the ability to do something right no matter the consequences, no matter the danger.

She had nothing left to live for. She was alone. She only had one more thing to give, one more person to save – and she would, she would give her life to save Harry Potter, for he was the only light left in this world. He was the only one who could stop Voldemort and stop the shadows from making their descent.

She looked him straight in the eyes – the eyes that were definitely not genetic and thankfully had not been passed on to her – like any Gryffindor would when faced with the most dangerous wizard of all time. She couldn't back down now. She was here, in the heart of the Ministry of Magic and she felt completely and utterly alone, her entire being was broken – the man she loved was somewhere far from here and there was not even a hair left of him.

She remembered the day she met Sirius Black like it was yesterday, for it was the day she made her first true friend. As the daughter of the world's darkest wizard, who had been hidden from life by her own mother until her Hogwarts letter arrived, she had never known truly what it was like to be with people her own age. Her Hogwarts letter had been a surprise even to her mother, who believed, with her father being the Dark Lord himself, that she would never see a single day of formal magical education.

Both of her parents were half-bloods, one a Slytherin, the other a Gryffindor, who had proved herself a brave woman, earning her a position as an Auror at the Ministry of Magic. That was until she was taken away by Death Eaters, as the Dark Lord's power began to rise.

The Dark Lord wanted nothing more than a safety-net – a child to continue his bloodline throughout the course of history, for in his blood ran that of Salazar Slytherin, combined with the greatness and power of his own. The woman, the Auror, Emmaline Playfair, became the mother of his child, through truly disgraceful circumstances. However, Emmaline truly loved the child she was given, no matter how it was brought into this world and through the darkness that was surrounding her, she would show her little girl the light.

Her father named her Adrienne Leilah, a name for someone dark, which outwardly an inwardly, she truly wasn't, thanks to the love her mother had shown her each and every day of her life. In order to be registered by the Ministry and Hogwarts, her father had to register his last name as hers and so, Adrienne Leilah Riddle was placed on the waiting list for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on her day of birth – April 4, 1960. Nobody doubted her strength or power however, even from a young age. The Dark Lord felt it best that she was raised by her mother, as this would increase her chances at admission to Hogwarts. Adrienne had only met her father twice that she could remember, but from what she could remember, she knew he wasn't good, like her mother.

Adrienne spent almost her entire first eleven years of life with only her mother and the books in her home for company. Her mother truly loved her and she never went with out, but this did not stop her from feeling sad whenever her father wasn't there, for he was still her father and from what she had discovered in her books, father's were supposed to be there for their children.

Over time, that sadness turned to anger, especially as she grew older. By the time she arrived at King's Cross Station for her first year at Hogwarts, she hadn't seen her father since her seventh birthday.

The mass of people waiting for the scarlet steam engine on platform 9 ¾ scared Adrienne – she knew that people often gathered in numbers from her mother and from her books, but having never left the four walls of their flat on the outskirts of a place called London, the amount of people running and screaming around the platform frightened her.

Her mother whispered to her that she had been instructed by her father not to linger, so they said their goodbyes by the entrance and Adrienne was suddenly alone, surrounded by more people than she thought could possibly be in a space this size. Shuffling through the crowds, it didn't take much for Adrienne to trip into the back of sturdy young boy dark, wavy hair and eyes the colour of an afternoon storm she'd often glimpsed from her bedroom window.

"Whoops!" the boy had barked at her, pulling her up by the scruff of the neck and pulling her robes back into place, a bright grin never leaving his face as he apologised to Adrienne, who managed to stutter her own, before accepting his offer of carrying her case to a compartment that they could share, in order for him to avoid his older cousins at all costs.

She new from the moment she saw them, that she would never forget those enchanting eyes, or the man who owned them.

It didn't take long for word to get around the train that the daughter of the Dark Lord was starting Hogwarts, which attracted the special attention of the members of Slytherin House.

Adrienne knew a lot about Hogwarts and a lot about the House of Slytherin, for it was all her father wanted for her when he was around. He had told her that she was special, because she had Slytherin's own blood pumping through her veins. At first, this excited Adrienne, until she began exploring the realm of Slytherin for herself in wizarding history. Slytherin was the opposite of everything that Adrienne was – and her father would have truly known that, had he truly been a part of his daughter's life.

Adrienne prayed to whatever external body that, after being harassed on the train and basically worshipped by the Slytherins, just because of her father, that would be sorted into any other house but Slytherin. This was further cemented when Sirius, even though he was worried that Slytherin would be his own fate, was sorted into Gryffindor – for no friendship could last the rivalry between the two houses.

The thought of losing her only friend – and herself – to a house like Slytherin scared her more than the crowds had at King's Cross.

When the Sorting Hat spoke of her great power, not once did he mention Slytherin – for her power shone in the courage of Gryffindor that pounded in her heart – she was meant for brilliant things in her life.

Her friendship with Sirius Black, the boy who belonged to those unforgettable eyes, came with other lifelong friendships with James Potter, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and her only female friend, Lily Evans, all of who had been sorted into Gryffindor alongside Adrienne.

Adrienne loved Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts and Charms, but excelled in all of her classes, as the teachers informed her was no surprise, given her parentage. Although she enjoyed the company of her friends, she sometimes chose to be alone, with proved to be a godsend to her school record, as Sirius and James were constantly in trouble for causing trouble – though usually for entertainment purposes.

Only once did she join Sirius on a prank, during their fourth year at Hogwarts. It was a slow Friday night, and Sirius had found himself without a detention and without a James Potter, who was unfortunately accompanying Argus Filch, the caretaker, in cleaning the trophy room. Without James, Sirius was bored, and often forced to endure hours of spell work and homework with Adrienne. Unfortunately for Adrienne, she had fallen _very deep_ for the stormy, puppy dog eyes of Sirius Black and had agreed to help him distract Filch so James could make a get away.

Turns out Professor McGonagall had caught on to the pattern of Sirius Black rescuing James Potter from boring detentions and she was ready and waiting when Sirius and Adrienne levitated a Niffler stuffed with Filibuster Fireworks in through the Trophy Room window. It caused quite the ruckus for Mr. Filch. Adrienne however, had been furious with Sirius, who claimed he had never been caught distracting Filch from a detention before, "Because the idiot focuses on what's happening not who did it!" he repeated to her all the way back to the common room, which didn't help her with the week's worth of detentions she had earned with McGonagall for aiding the Marauder. Adrienne didn't speak to him for that entire week, which Sirius found rather upsetting. Adrienne had no choice but to forgive him when she found a bunch of tulips at the end of her bed surrounded by piles of Honeyduke's best one morning. Turns out, Sirius Black couldn't take losing Adrienne's companionship too.

Adrienne completed her O.W.L's only just behind Lily Evans, with Sirius and James very close behind. With her father's influence and interest in her and her mother rapidly declining as his influence on the greater wizarding world grew, she selected subjects on the path to becoming an Auror – which caused Professor McGonagall to promptly burst into tears of pride for the Gryffindor, who was quickly shooed from the office. Sirius and James selected the same subjects, and the three of them spent their next two years encouraging each other to strive for their goals.

Over their last two years at Hogwarts, Sirius and Adrienne grew closer and closer, forming a bond that would only break under extreme circumstances. They knew everything about the other, every secret, every detail each remembered of their childhood. They knew each other better than they knew themselves – they were attached at the hip more often than James was attached to Sirius. Though each too scared to that last step towards a bond of the romantic kind, for fear of breaking something that worked perfectly fine, they dated their share of Hogwarts students, each hoping the other would explode in jealousy and ravage them.

And one evening, just before the Christmas of their seventh year – it happened.

Sirius was wrapped in the embrace of a blonde sixth year girl on the most comfortable couch in the common room, in front the hearth. Adrienne had just been kicked out of the library for the third time that week. Her late nights in the library had several contributing factors, but mainly due to workload and Sirius's latest fling, who this time happened to be in Gryffindor. They were always worse when they were in Gryffindor, because Sirius would flaunt them as much as physically possible to get under her skin.

Adrienne stumbled through the portrait hole just after curfew began, her eyes immediately drawn to the disturbing display that every set of eyes was desperately trying to avoid. James spotted her before she had the chance to madly dash to her dormitory and waved her over, a wink thrown in as she rolled her eyes at Sirius and the blonde sixth year, dejectedly seating herself down on the floor beside the hazel-eyed Marauder.

"Sirius!" the man in question snapped with a grin, throwing his long-abandoned quill at his shaggy-haired friend. The two broke apart from their activities. The blonde let out a giggle that sounded like it belonged to a toddler and Sirius smirked at his two best friends, sending a wink that sent Adrienne over the edge.

Yes, she had finally had enough of the game that neither was going to win, for in that moment, it felt like Adrienne herself was losing.

She leapt to her feet, a murderous look plastered on her features – the brown eyes which she had inherited from her father before his transformation gleaming with a fire not unlike the one burning just metres from her. If any of them had seen her father faced with opposition, they would not be able to tell the two apart in that moment, for Adrienne was finally at breaking point.

She loved Sirius Black – she loved Sirius Black with all her heart and she was not going to spend another moment without shouting it to the world that he was hers, and she was his.

No one was going to take him from her – ever, because as the light of the fire shone in his eyes, as he looked at her – that was enough to erase every part of her that had ever thought that maybe she was on the wrong side.

This was where she belonged, in the light in his eyes.

After graduation, Sirius, James and Adrienne all began their Auror training. With this, came a significant amount of backlash from supporters of Voldemort in regards to confusion surrounding Adrienne's side in the war.

And so, came reality.

Three months after commencing her Auror training, Adrienne had heard little from her mother or her father – the latter was not a surprise, for time had long past between catch-ups. It had gotten to a point where Adrienne was so happy, so in love with her life, with Sirius and with her friends that she simply did not care for where her father now was.

Her friends had all joined a secret society against her father's movements in the Dark Arts. Albus Dumbledore, the group's head, had in turn offered her a place in the Order of the Phoenix, which surprised Adrienne. Dumbledore had been kind when she had declined, understanding that even though he was who he was, and she may not agree with any of his ideologies, it was difficult for her to join a cause that's main cause was her own father's destruction. Sirius, though obviously upset she had yet to turn her back on her father as he had his own parents, supported her decision. Adrienne's happiness and fondness for how her life was turning out continued and her life completely glowed with Sirius by her side.

Until a cold, blistery day blew over London – and with it came fire.

It had been a long day at work and Adrienne had finally heard from her mother a week before – she had been moved by her father to a new location, but had requested that Adrienne visit for dinner one evening. Even after such strenuous work, Adrienne was excited to see her mother again for the first time since Christmas. As she departed the Ministry, she pulled her coat tighter around her body, for the temperature had definitely dropped throughout the day. Clouds thundered overhead as she disapparated, arriving just outside the protective charms placed by her father around her mother's residence.

The light and the heat were sudden change to what she had just left – but it turned her insides cold with dread.

For in front of her eyes, in plain sight, was her mother's new house, completely ablaze.

And above that, was something even Adrienne knew was never a good sign – the sign of the destruction her father had left behind.

With an almighty scream, Adrienne suddenly unfroze, launching herself into the burning house, blasting open the front door with her wand, blasting the flames only to discover that fire that was engulfing the building was not ordinary fire.

With another scream, Adrienne tore through a gap, running down the hall into the living room, where below a message, shining in the blaze and unharmed by the flames, was her mother's body – almost excessively mangled and very much dead.

Anguished cries racked her body as collapsed beside her. Her mother was gone, the house destroyed. The only thing left…

Adrienne leapt to her feet, much like she had that night nine months ago when she confessed her love for Sirius Black, with courage in her heart, and revenge in her eyes. Still shining on the wall, the message, clearly for her, read:

_"__No matter how strong or stupid the lionhearted – they will always be bonded by blood and they cannot escape their destiny."_

With one last look at her mother and the words painted in what could only be her mother's own blood, Adrienne fled out into the night, tears falling and sobs shattering at her ribcage.

Without so much as a second thought, Adrienne made her way to where her heart belonged and made the decision to turn her back on her father – for the murder of her mother was the final piece in the puzzle of his personality.

The Order of the Phoenix had never been stronger.

As her father's strength continued to grow, darkness settled over those still standing in the light. It became harder and harder for Adrienne and her beloved friends to continue smiling as the days rolled into months.

Moments with Sirius were some of the only times where Adrienne truly felt peaceful – for they always filled with love and in Sirius's case, mischief.

Exactly a year after they started dating, on a drizzly Saturday in mid November, Adrienne woke up to the smell of pancakes wafting through Sirius's apartment in London. As she opened her eyes and reached for her love, she felt only sheets. The realization that Sirius was cooking her favourite breakfast food sent her tumbling out of bed, hastily pulling on a crisp white shirt of Sirius's over her underclothes, which is a whole lot more than could've been said for the Marauder.

It seemed Sirius hadn't thought clothes to be an important part of the breakfast making routine – as Adrienne was rather delighted to discover that he was indeed playing the role of "Naked Chef" that morning.

She wrapped her arms around his torso, burying her nose just below his shoulder blades, mumbling a "good morning," as she took in his scent – husky, somewhat smoky and sometimes a little wet-doggy.

"Good morning yourself, little one," he said affectionately, spinning around in her embrace to peck her on the noise. "Happy anniversary!"

"Ugh," Adrienne stepped back to look up at the man she loved, wrinkling her nose in mock-disgust as she continued, "Have I really put up with you for a whole year?"

Sirius gave a bark of laughter, which happened to be Adrienne's favourite sound in the whole world, before smearing some of the pancake batter on her face. "Sure have, little one! I must say, I wish I'd discovered the magical qualities of pancake batter twelve months ago, for it is certainly and improvement to your beauty!"

Adrienne snorted, licking some from the corner of her mouth, as Sirius turned back to his cooking, almost burning a pancake in order to kiss her forehead as she returned to his side after cleaning up the batter. She looked up into his eyes, the light of her heart, and the smile did not leave her face that whole day.

A while later, James and Lily were married – this day was definitely full of light.

All day, Sirius wanted nothing more than to prank James with Adrienne, and dance with Adrienne, and eat with Adrienne, and kiss Adrienne.

Adrienne definitely had no quarrels with this day, she never wanted to stop smiling.

And for almost nine months, she certainly didn't.

James and Lily were expecting a child. The day Adrienne and Sirius found out, a sudden burst of hope was illuminated inside them, because a miniature fusion of Lily and James was definitely something beautiful in these times.

But of course, it was definitely something dangerous.

When the prophecy came, so did the Death Eaters. Sirius and Adrienne barely escaped with their lives after a trip to St. Mungos and James and Lily would not have made it without the aid of the rest of the Order of the Phoenix.

That day was the beginning of the end, but Sirius and Adrienne promised each other, that no matter what, they would protect their best friend's child, no matter the cost.

For he was the most blinding of lights in this never-ending darkness.

Adrienne remembered her last moments with Sirius Black before his betrayal and capture like any other memory with her beloved, except this time, they were tainted by the darkness that came with anything remotely associated with her father.

She remembered waking up to Sirius, cradling her hand between his, his stormy eyes that kept her from breaking shining into hers. She gave him a smile, which he returned. If you had asked her after his betrayal, she would've said that there was something darker in them that morning and she would've attributed it to that fact. However, Sirius had awoken that morning with a shadow in his being that had nothing to do with that – it had everything to do with instinct.

You see, Sirius Black didn't trust his friends anymore – and that included Adrienne.

Adrienne didn't trust the silence on her father's part. It had been weeks since any of the Order had seen or even heard anything in regards to her father's movements, and it was scarier than the constant attacks.

"Morning," Adrienne sighed, reaching up with her other hand to stroke his cheek, pecking him on the lips – it was not returned.

Sirius grunted, his nose and lips twitching slightly in a smile that they both knew was not genuine, and it broke Adrienne's heart to see the light diminish in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Adrienne said, as Sirius climbed out of bed, following suit herself.

"I don't know anymore," he whispered, stopping in front of the mirror, his eyes shut and hidden from Adrienne, even in the reflection. "I just don't feel okay. I feel like…"

"Like what?" Adrienne whispered – her whole world slowly shifting and breaking in front of her own eyes and she was sure that Sirius, shut off and broken himself, couldn't even see it.

"Like," Sirius took a shuddering breath, his eyes remaining shut, his body shaking and preparing for the inevitable explosion, "Like everything's changed – this whole game. It just isn't the same anymore. Nothing's the same."

"Game? This isn't a game Sirius. This is life – this is Lily's life! James's! _Harry's_ life!"

"LIFE!" Sirius roared, his eyes blasting open, "If this is supposed to be life, then I don't want it! If this is life, _then I don't have one_. I feel like I'm _stuck_."

There it was. Explosion, ground zero. Adrienne was barely hanging on, each word like a knife to her heart.

"But," Adrienne's voice was strained, barely audible, "Where aren't doing this for us. You know that. We're doing this for them."

Sirius shut his eyes again, shaking now more than ever.

And he said it.

"I don't think I can do it anymore."

That was the last time Adrienne saw Sirius Black – her Sirius Black – before he became _Sirius Black, Voldemort's Secret Weapon_.

On the eve of October 31st, 1982, Adrienne's world completely and utterly crumbled.

She lost everyone she loved – every light in her life – to her own father.

Except little Harry Potter. Little Harry Potter, who had given her father a taste of his own medicine.

But it was not over yet, for her father lived on, however he broken he was in that moment.

She strengthened her vow that day – she promised herself, she promised James and Lily – that no matter what may come, she would keep Harry safe and she would guide him through the terror that life would give him.

Harry Potter – protecting Harry Potter was her life now.

Sirius Black had been her energy – her will to keep going.

She didn't have it anymore – she didn't have him, but she had to keep Harry safe.

Even that meant giving her own life.

Even if that meant giving up on Sirius Black and giving up on what ultimately fuelled her existence.

_Focus on Harry_, _let go._

Adrienne awoke in the summer of 1993 to news that Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban. As one of the Ministry's finest Auror's and at Professor Dumblebore's request, Adrienne would join Marauder, Remus Lupin, at Hogwarts as a security liaison until such time as Sirius was caught.

It had been a long time since Adrienne had thought of Sirius Black, for it was safest to lock him away, in the darkest crevice of her heart.

But for Harry Potter, she would do anything.

Almost two years and fifteen heart attacks most likely caused by the danger that targeted Harry Potter almost like a magnet later, Albus Dumbledore presented a dilemma to Adrienne Riddle.

This dilemma was Sirius Black in the form of a man who had been set-up by Peter Pettigrew.

By Merlin, did it break her heart to look him in the eyes after all she thought he'd done.

By Merlin did it break his heart to see her so cold and detached, all because of what he'd said the last time she saw him.

With the Order of the Phoenix reestablished, Adrienne had no choice but to see and hear Sirius Black on a regular basis and every time was like a crucio to her heart.

His eyes had changed; there was less happiness inside their stormy depths than there had been fifteen years ago, and as much as that saddened Adrienne, she still found herself drawn to the light they inspired inside her, after all this time.

After one particular meeting, one that happened to coincide with Harry Potter's arrival at Grimmauld Place, the boy who lived invited his mother's closest friend to stay for dinner.

"Um," Adrienne's eyes flicked towards Sirius, no matter how hard she struggled, before turning back to Harry, "Sure, Harry. Anything for you, kiddo," she added, ruffling his hair and poking him in the forehead affectionately.

Grabbing the girl into an embrace, already exceeding her height, Harry whispered into her ear, "Merlin knows Sirius would appreciate it, too."

Adrienne's blood ran cold, for she had barely even held more than a "Hello" with her beloved since the beginning of the summer at the first Order meeting. She didn't know what to say, what to do or where she even stood with Sirius. To cover her sudden stillness, she broke from Harry's embrace and punched him in the shoulder, before walking back into the kitchen and taking a seat beside Moody, her mentor from her training days.

"How's thing's in the office these days, Ad?" Moody grumbled, passing her a butterbeer, Adrienne rolling her eyes at the nickname he'd chosen for her on her very first day. "Not getting into too much trouble without Sirius around?"

Adrienne's butterbeer, which had been halfway to her mouth suddenly dropped from her hand shattered over the table, to the shock of the entire room, most especially the man who had just sat across from her – Sirius Black himself. Their eyes locked, neither hearing the scolding directed at Adrienne from Molly Weasley, who left her post at the stove to clean the mess quickly with her wand.

With a tut of his tongue, Sirius broke the connection, turning instead to Remus beside him to discuss the latest in Werewolf politics. Turning back to Moody, Adrienne shared a glance with the ex-Auror, who had raised his eyebrows at the tears clearly evident in her eyes.

Dinner was awkward, Adrienne remaining exceptionally silent, which worried Harry and Sirius alike, though only one truly knew why. The conversation that followed was even worse.

Harry was protesting the room's refusal, minus Sirius, at his offer to join the Order. "If Voldemort's raising an army, then I want to fight!"

"No."

The room was silent as they all turned to the one person who had not spoken in over an hour – Adrienne's eyes were fixed on the table, but at the silence that followed, she turned then to meet Harry's, only slightly catching the pair of stormy blue she always tried to lose herself in.

"No," she repeated more firmly. Harry knew her story, for she had told him the day they met that Harry could remember, two summer's ago. Harry had nothing but respect for the older, who spent every day she could spare working to keep him safe. She continued when Harry frowned, for even she knew he would not outwardly reject what the girl was saying, for she was family as much as the Weasley's and Sirius were to him, "You can't, Harry. Not yet. You're not ready."

"Rubbish!" Ron Weasley, Harry's best friend, protested from further down the table. "Harry's already faced You Know Who! And won!"

"That's not my point," Adrienne sighed, looking down slightly, feeling the piercing blue eyes on her, eyes that could bring her comfort if she let them – but she couldn't. She could never bring herself that much heartbreak, that much loss, ever again. "I believe in Harry just as much, if not more, than everyone at this table. He's undoubtedly ready in the sense you mean, Ron, but he isn't ready mentally."

The silence in the room continued, with many confused faces facing Harry and Adrienne, who seemed to be communicating with their eyes.

"I've seen you at work, Harry. You have all the makings of someone who could do brilliant things in the war that's inevitably approaching, I do not doubt that all – but not yet. You have too much heart for those around you and Merlin knows, I know, that having a heart only brings you heartbreak. I don't want to bring you any more heartbreak. You're not ready for that."

With a sigh and with tears stinging in her eyes, Adrienne left Grimmauld Place, knowing that Harry still wanted to join, no matter how much truth he'd found in her words, and knowing that she'd left a different broken heart in her wake.

The Order of the Phoenix continued to fight against Voldemort's spreading influence for the second time in wizarding history, but for two of it's members, a fight just as heartbreaking was building within the walls of Grimmauld Place.

A fight so _very silent_.

Sirius knew what the continued silence between himself and the love of his life, Adrienne Riddle, would bring to them both – more heartbreak. Every day that ticked by without her attached to his hip and secure in his arms, as they had been for so very long, killed him a little more on the inside. Pair that with a death warrant looming over his head, and Sirius Black truly knew what it was like to be _stuck_.

It didn't take long for Sirius to reflect on what he'd said to her about being stuck, for his life then didn't even begin to compare with how truly terrible it was in 1995. For starters, in 1982, Adrienne Riddle hated him.

Because he'd broken his vow to her, a vow that had meant more than her own life.

Now, he was acting like Harry Potter was his responsibility, when in all honesty with himself and with Merlin, Adrienne Riddle had been a better god-parent to Harry than he could ever be, or ever make up for, for he broke the vow he made to give every part of himself for Harry, James and Lily. Yet he continued to flaunt his relationship with Harry under Adrienne's nose – he couldn't stop himself, for he thought it would make it clear that he'd been wrong. In hindsight, Sirius could see that he just looked like an asshole, like he hadn't learned a single lesson in fourteen years.

He was weak and his weakness had cost him so much.

It had cost Adrienne so much. He knew he was in wrong and he knew her silence was justified.

It was up to him break that silence.

He was just too weak.

He didn't deserve Adrienne Riddle's love – not now, not ever.

There was only one way he would ever allow her to forgive him and there was only one place left for them to be together.

If any one had stopped her in the street that day and told her today was the day she would lose her love, she would've laughed.

For never in a million years could Adrienne Riddle cope with the concept of Sirius Black, her Sirius Black, leaving this world for good. She had struggled through the idea of him leaving her, for it had become a reality she'd lived through for so long now.

She just didn't think that hope was enough to pull her through if those stormy eyes and the person they belonged to were lost to this world, _to her_, forever.

Sirius and Adrienne were fighting back-to-back, surrounded almost completely by Voldemort's most loyal. Even out of practice, most of them were barely a challenge for Sirius, but with the love of his life by his side, he felt invincible and unbroken for the first time in fourteen years.

Sharing a look with Adrienne as a curse barely missed his godson, their godson, he pulled Harry behind an out-of-place rock, begging him to take his friends and run as far as he could from the danger of the events around him. Finally, Harry agreed, and Sirius turned back to Adrienne, just as she kicked Lucius Malfoy square in his family jewels. Sensing him behind her, Adrienne turned to share a smirk with Sirius, just one little moment, and in that tiny slice of hope that throbbed through her veins, Adrienne allowed herself to feel every emotion she'd ever felt for Sirius Black.

Her heart burst in a swell of euphoria as his eyes lit up, sharing a nod with the man that was her everything, still, after fourteen years of a tattered heart, before they both launched back into the battle, Sirius hitting Lucius with a particularly overdone stunning jinx.

Adrienne heard the growl of her mentor across the room, who was actually struggling to fend off a Death Eater unknown to Adrienne, so with a glance at Sirius and a reluctance to leave his side that she hadn't felt at all in the past twelve months of his reappearance in her life, she launched herself towards Moody, shouting a code unknown to anyone else in the room, as the pair launched into a rather magnificent offensive maneuver, which had Adrienne directly overlooking the moment her heart, her light, her energy, completely exploded.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Stormy blue locked to whiskey brown. He reached for her as she reached for him. The only difference being that one was screaming, full of rage and heartbreak and _life_, and the other was falling, _falling_.

Sirius Black was dead.

Adrienne Riddle was lost.

She raised her wand, the black of the ebony shining white above the handle in the light of green fire still blazing in the fireplace where Bellatrix Lestrange had just departed. Cowardice, for it was her who had killed him, her who should pay for the tears shining in her godson's eyes, the tears that hadn't even thought of seeing the light of day in her own.

She was lost. For fourteen years she'd only known one thing – _save Harry._

She was standing between her father and now her only reason for living.

She knew what she had to do. For once in her life and with sudden realization, Adrienne Riddle wasn't lost.

Her veins were almost bursting with fire, her head ached and her heart lay shattered back down where her friends were still fighting.

Her last ounce of life was right here: protecting Harry Potter.

"Well," her father sneered, a smirk plastered uncharacteristically over his features, "If it isn't my own flesh and blood, standing between myself and what I desire most."

"What we desire most," Adrienne whispered, her voice almost mocking in its tone, "Desire is for those who don't have the courage to take what they want. I only want one thing and I sure as hell am going to take it!"

Her father laughed, cold and cruel, his wand snapping to point directly at Adrienne's heart. "Gryffindor certainly did wonders to you!"

"No," Adrienne shook her head, lowering her eyes for a moment, before looking directly inside her father's determination pulsing through her entire being, "My friends, my love, my life did this to me and you took them, you left me with nothing!"

Her father's cold laughter continued over her heavy breathing, the fire like molten lava inside her, ready to finally burst forward. She turned to look at Harry, his green eyes still shining with the tears of heartbreak she'd desperately fought to protect him from. She had failed him and her own vow so many times over the years – he had hurt more than she ever wanted him to. She couldn't let him hurt on her watch any longer, it was time for them to let go.

She had to let him go – Harry only needed her this one last time.

She smiled at him and he smiled back.

It was time to face the music.

This is the end.

Adrienne could never really pinpoint whether or not the flash of green that had been her last moments of her life were her godson's eyes, or the curse her father had used to end her life.

She stuck around the Ministry long enough to see Harry safe and the world alerted to her father's return.

That was all she needed to know that her heart and mind had chosen well.

For her father had returned – but this time there was hope.

She could use some of that hope, for where she was going, she didn't know.

But she hoped she'd find Sirius there.


End file.
